You Review It: Warped Roadies

For the last few years, every time I interview a tour’s audio crew for Pro Sound News, the engineers will say something like, “Man, this tour is crazy—we should be a reality TV show!” Apparently the cable network Fuse got the same idea and now it's turned the long-running punk-pop festival tour, Warped, into Warped Roadies. Here's the premiere episode for your viewing pleasure—check it out, then tell us what you think! Is this finally some long-deserved recognition for road crews, or is it the same caricature of road guys that's been around since Meatloaf starred in the execrable B-movie Roadie back in the late '70s? Share your thoughts!

For the last few years, every time I interview a tour’s audio crew for Pro Sound News, the engineers will say something like, “Man, this tour is crazy—we should be a reality TV show!” Apparently the cable network Fuse got the same idea and now it's turned the long-running punk-pop festival tour, Warped, into Warped Roadies, airing Fridays at 11/10C.

The premiere episode, above, introduces us to various staffers on the 2012 tour—mainly founder/promoter Kevin Lyman; main stage manager Kenny; various stage/tent riggers; and Amy, an embedded web reporter (no sound folks, at least not in episode one)—as they kick off another long summer run. Along the way, they explain to mainstream viewers the science of picking a bus bunk and the havoc caused by bands that run overtime on their festival slots.

Whether Fuse can squeeze an entire reality series out of a tour without getting repetitive remains to be seen, but Warped certainly seems like the ideal production to get the reality TV treatment. On any other tour, you’d have to wonder why the headliner wasn’t the star of the show, but the festival, founded back in 1995, has become its own main draw over the years.

So now it’s time for you, the professionals, to weigh in—what do you think of Warped Roadies? Is this finally some long-deserved recognition for road crews, or is it the same caricature of road guys that's been around since Meatloaf starred in the execrable B-movie Roadie back in the late '70s? Share your thoughts!